Competitors to the Tesla solar roof?

[ckessel]

I'm looking at building a house in the next year or so and wanted to put a solar roof on it. Ideally, with a battery backup. Given the big thread about Tesla's handling of their solar roof reservations, I'm reticent to using Tesla at this point. I can't even use Tesla's site to get a quote since it requires the address of a house that doesn't exist yet. No phone number to call either. Unfortunate, I like the look and the integration, but oh well.

What other solar roof options would people recommend? The Googles came up with Luma and they look decent, but I'd like to get feedback from folks with more direct/personal experience in this area. If it helps, this is being done in the Eugene, OR area.

 

[jjrandorin]

It will be much (much) easier for you to plan on putting on a roof and then getting traditional PV panels. There isnt really a competitor for teslas solar roof. The competition is "regular roof + solar panels".

 

[EVRider-FL]

Maybe by next year Tesla will be better at handling Solar Roof installations, so wait and see. You can get a quote even before the house is built, but there’s no reason to request a quote this soon. I got a Solar Roof quote for new construction but cancelled the order when it became clear Tesla couldn’t deliver in time (going with panels instead via a third-party installer).

 

[Two-rocks]

Big prominent garage doors on the front of a house used to be less desirable.

I put big prominent solar panels on the front of my house -in my face- just to be ahead of the curve.

 

[wjgjr]

Solar Shingles: Make Your Roof Solar-Powered (5 Brands) - what seems to be a good list of options. Of them, only Luma looks to me like a (possible) direct replacement for Tesla Solar Roof as the others still seem to be overlaid on the roof and/or of an obviously different color/material. No clue as to cost, quality or availability.

 

[ckessel]

Maybe by next year Tesla will be better at handling Solar Roof installations, so wait and see. You can get a quote even before the house is built, but there’s no reason to request a quote this soon. I got a Solar Roof quote for new construction but cancelled the order when it became clear Tesla couldn’t deliver in time (going with panels instead via a third-party installer).

How did you get the quote? Using Tesla's website:

1) Have to have an address to fill out the fields to get to a quote and there is no address yet.
2) Requires a $100 deposit. There is no way to just ask a question.

I was able to use a nearby address and plug in the sq. footage I'm expected and it gave me a rough estimate, is that what you meant?

I got a Solar Roof quote for new construction but cancelled the order when it became clear Tesla couldn’t deliver in time

That's a definite concern. Tesla is pretty crap at being reliable on anything to do with delivery times and estimates. It doesn't sound like their solar division is any better .

 

[ckessel]

I was able to get a Tesla person chat on their website. Basically, fill out the form with a guess at the address and they'll contact me when they serve Eugene. Oh well, the fact they don't serve it at all answers my question. Perhaps by the time I need the roof they will, but I doubt it.

 

[Puma2020]

I do not know of any solar roof competitors. Whether you go panels or solar roof, my suggestion would be, definitely get battery backup. If the electrical folks know what is coming they can wire things more appropriately. If I was building a new house, I'd look long and hard at geothermal. With solar power (and possibly solar water heater), geothermal is simply electrical pumps moving fluids around. That also means you want to size your solar system and batteries appropriately. My thinking is basically a house with free (after ROI) heating/cooling and electrical. You pay more up front, but when you eventually sell the house, I think it'd sell very quickly because of the lack of monthly bills. Basically self sufficient.

 

[DHevey]

Another option is a metal standing-seam roof with adhesive thin film panels.

 

[jimm01]

There was a report in Forbes? that Standard Industries (GAF, GAF Energy, etc.) will later this year announce a 'new' more intergraded solar roof, one supposedly to compete directly with Tesla's Solar Roof. This is NOT the current Decotech system. Having sold GAF roofing products one thing I believe will happen, they will figure out how to estimate and install the product.

 

[jimm01]

Just stumbled upon this (Europe only):

Q&A: Europe’s Version of Tesla, the New Clickable Solar Roof by Roofit.solar - ArchiExpo e-Magazine

Since 2017, Roofit.solar has been offering Europe a solution similar to Tesla solar roofs. The company earned the Solution for the Future 2020 award for its seamless 2-in-1 solar roof that can be found on more than 100 roofs around Europe while its modular steel roof tiles and click-roof panels...

emag.archiexpo.com

 

[jimm01]

Here's another option, looks ok if one's a seagull:

Mitrex's new BIPV solar roofing panels mimic roof shingles

Mitrex, a Canadian manufacturing leader in solar technology, is bringing to market its roofing panels, developed to provide a cost-efficient energy solution for homes. The company’s patented building-integrated photovoltaic technology (BIPV) can be easily installed on both new and existing...

solarbuildermag.com

 

[wjgjr]

Here's another option, looks ok if one's a seagull:

Mitrex's new BIPV solar roofing panels mimic roof shingles

Mitrex, a Canadian manufacturing leader in solar technology, is bringing to market its roofing panels, developed to provide a cost-efficient energy solution for homes. The company’s patented building-integrated photovoltaic technology (BIPV) can be easily installed on both new and existing...

solarbuildermag.com

Interesting product - it is more like camouflaged solar panels than a solar roof, but depending on how obvious it is that the panels are sitting atop the roof, it might address the aesthetics issue, and will presumably be cheaper than a true solar roof product.

 

[jimm01]

I mention this before. The link below refences GAF Energy's next-generation solar product that "are even more seamlessly integrated with roofing materials", due later this year.

Solar roofs don't get full US tax credits – here's why a fix is urgent

Solar roof innovation is moving ahead of US policy, and if we want to encourage further innovation, we need policy to catch up.

electrek.co

 

[Southpasfan]

One argument for going with building the roof so that panels are integrated is the incredible progress in panel tech.

My just installed panels are 340s. My friend who is trying to get a utility grade solar and wind farm project going is already spec-ing out 500 watt panels.

The ability easily swap out panels and get 40% more production in five to ten years is significant.

 

[jimm01]

One argument for going with building the roof so that panels are integrated is the incredible progress in panel tech.

Other than cost the considerations are mostly architectural. Either by choice or by restrictive covenant. Having been a roofer I just have a fond dislike for any roof attachments and prefer direct-to-decking with as few roof penetrations a possible. As far as efficiency and energy production goes I have enough roof space to generate more than double my energy needs. However, New Jersey's net metering policy and interconnection regulations limit production to 100% of one’s annual consumption. Also, hopefully in the not to distant future new thin film technologies and other improvements will make direct-to-deck installations more efficient and easier to upgrade, (theoretically all the current direct-to-deck technologies are upgradable).

Not to go too far off subject but if the goal is first and foremost environmental we could do a lot more now to improve, production, distribution and consumption today if we weren’t a bunch of buffoons.

 

[jimm01]

 

[DJVoorhees]

Do your research. I would hate to have a new construction project hinging on Tesla's ability to put your roof on. Tesla is way too undependable right now.

 

[jimm01]

The Swiss company initiated solar modules production just recently and now wants to introduce a roof-integrated solar system that can be deployed as easily as traditional roof tiles. It intends to present the new product at the Intersolar trade show in October. First deliveries are planned for the second half of next year.

Meyer Burger buys IP for solar roof tiles, to present new product in Oct

July 29 (Renewables Now) - Meyer Burger Technology AG (SWX:MBTN) has acquired from an unnamed German engineering service firm the full intellectual propert

renewablesnow.com

 

[Will792]

One argument for going with building the roof so that panels are integrated is the incredible progress in panel tech.

My just installed panels are 340s. My friend who is trying to get a utility grade solar and wind farm project going is already spec-ing out 500 watt panels.

The ability easily swap out panels and get 40% more production in five to ten years is significant.

You probably noticed that newer, higher power rating panels are typically bigger in size. This makes the proposition of upgrading panels much more difficult than it sounds. Spacing of rails becomes wrong, rails need to be extended, clearance margins change and so on. In the past companies kept the same dimensions year after year. It changed in the last few years and newer lines of panel are typically 1“-2” bigger in both dimensions.

Commercial panels with 500W rating are significantly bigger in size so comparing them with residential 60 cell panels is meaningless.